The United Nations stands ready to support Libyan leaders as they navigate the course of democratic transition, UPI quoted U.N. special envoy Tarek Mitri as saying Wednesday. Nouri Ali Busahmin was elected president of the Libyan General National Congress in a runoff election Tuesday. Mitri said in a congratulatory statement the United Nations is committed to working with Busahmin "to support the building of the state's legitimate institutions and the democratic transition according to the Libyan national priorities." Busahmin replaces Mohammad al-Magarief, who resigned last month to comply with a political isolation law. Libyan lawmakers passed legislation barring people who served in the government of Moammar Gadhafi from holding political office. Gadhafi served as Libyan leader from 1969 to 2011 when he died. The law was criticized for being too broad. The measure passed after gunmen seized several buildings housing government ministries to pressure Gadhafi-era officials. Mitri told the Security Council last week Libya was struggling to overcome "decades of authoritarian rule, dysfunctional state institutions and confusion around political norms." A biography of Busahmin from the Libya Herald says he hails from a town in western Libya near the Tunisian border. He is an independent member of Congress.
